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John Bevere is an internationally acclaimed author, speaker, and evangelist, with more than 40 years of experience equipping believers to live out their faith with purpose and passion. Known for his ability to communicate challenging biblical concepts with clarity and conviction, Bevere’s books have been translated in over 130 languages and have sold millions of copies globally. Beyond writing, Bevere co-founded Messenger International with his wife, Lisa, a ministry dedicated to providing discipleship resources to the Church worldwide.

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DRAWING NEAR

Nelson Ignite

Contents

Introduction.......................................................vChapter 1: The Greatest Invitation of All Time.....................1Chapter 2: God's Pursuit...........................................10Chapter 3: Protect Your Hunger.....................................24Chapter 4: Passion for His Presence................................39Chapter 5: Behind the Veil.........................................52Chapter 6: The Friends of God......................................67Chapter 7: What Hinders True Intimacy?.............................87Chapter 8: True Worship............................................110Chapter 9: With Whom God Dwells....................................124Chapter 10: Intimacy with the Holy Spirit..........................137Chapter 11: The Promise of the Father..............................159Chapter 12: The Language of Intimacy...............................184Chapter 13: Full Assurance of Faith................................207Chapter 14: Drawing Near...........................................227Appendix A.........................................................237Appendix B.........................................................241

Chapter One

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"Draw near to God and He will draw near to you." James 4:8

There is a call-no, a cry-coming from the heart of God and with each passing day its intensity increases: "Why are you satisfied without My presence; why do you remain distant when you could have intimacy with Me?"

All of us have friends or people we admire and want to be closer with. They hold a special place in our hearts, and spending time with them is a treat, especially when it comes at their invitation. Such a request to share their company fills us with anticipation, joy, and excitement. We happily do whatever it takes to clear our calendar and accept their request.

Within the book of James we find the greatest invitation ever issued, "Draw near to God and He will draw near to you" (4:8). Stop a moment and ponder this: the Creator of the universe, the earth, and all its inhabitants, requests your presence. Not only your presence, but He desires to be intimately close, for we are told "he is a God who is passionate about his relationship with you" (Ex. 34:14 NLT).

This is God's unwavering desire. He is the One who has issued the invitation, for He longs to be known by His children. Since the fall of man it has taken thousands of years, intricate preparations, and a huge price to open the way for this kind of close relationship. John, one of Jesus' closest friends, reported,

No man has ever seen God at any time; the only unique Son, or the only begotten God, Who is in the bosom [in the intimate presence] of the Father, He has declared Him [He has revealed Him and brought Him out where He can be seen; He has interpreted Him and He has made Him known]. (John 1:18 AMP)

Adam knew the Lord openly; but because of sin, or disobedience, was separated from His glorious presence, and his fate extended to all mankind. Men and women could no longer see or know God as Adam once had. However, the Father yearned with great passion and compassion to redeem our fellowship from this terrible separation. In answer He sent Jesus, who'd been with the Father from the beginning, God manifested in the flesh, to pay the price that would liberate us from darkness in order to reconcile us to God, if we receive Him as our Lord.

However, this reunion of God and man has not been preached nor experienced in its fullest extent. We've emphasized the liberation from sin and death, but neglected to declare the intimate fellowship awaiting all who've been made free. This neglect is costly and even disastrous, as so many miss the beauty of knowing God intimately. A parallel of this tragedy was played out in the Old Testament with the descendants of Abraham.

Two Totally Different Motives

I have always been amazed by the contrast of attitudes and behavioral patterns of Moses and his kinsmen, the children of Israel. The book of Exodus opens with Abraham's descendants suffering under harsh captivity. They had been in Egypt for almost four hundred years. In the beginning they enjoyed favor, but it was not long before they were enslaved and cruelly mistreated. In their agony they began to cry out to God for deliverance.

The Lord was moved by their prayers and sent a deliverer by the name of Moses. Though born a Hebrew, he'd escaped slavery and was raised as a grandson to Pharaoh in his household. As a prince of Egypt, he was moved by the plight of his brethren but had to flee for his life to the wilderness only to return years later and deliver Israel from their bondage by God's Word and power.

Israel's deliverance from Egyptian bondage parallels our deliverance from the slavery of sin. Egypt represents the world's system just as Israel is a type of the church. When we're born again, we're set free from the world's system of tyranny and oppression.

It is not hard to imagine how cruelly the children of Israel were used and abused by the citizens of Egypt. Their backs were scarred by the whips of Pharaoh's taskmasters; their homes were the slums, and their food was leftovers. They had no hope of inheritance as they slaved to build the prosperity of their Egyptian masters. They wept as thousands of their infant sons were put to death by the order of Pharaoh.

Though they suffered all this cruelty they were quick to forget. For even after their deliverance from Egypt, whenever things went wrong they would regret their flight from Egypt and mock their prayers for deliverance with comments like "it was better for us back in Egypt." They would even be so bold as to suggest, "Let us select a leader and return to Egypt" (Num. 14:4, author's emphasis).

But not Moses; he was the only one for whom the conditions had been better in Egypt; in fact, no one in the world had it better. He was raised by the wealthiest man on earth, lived in the best, ate the best, wore the best, and was taught by the best. Servants took care of his every need and desire as his inheritance was great in both wealth and promise. He willingly left all this behind, and, unlike the children of Israel, he never looked back nor longed for what was behind.

What made the difference? The answer is Moses had encountered God. He saw the fire and drew near. He met the living God in a burning bush on Sinai; Israel did not! When the Lord called him aside he drew near. Later when the children of Israel were presented with an even more wonderful invitation, they drew back (see Ex. 20:18-21).

I very frequently ask congregations, "Where was Moses bringing the children of Israel when they left Egypt?" The normal response is "the promised land." Yet that's not true. He was headed for Mount Horeb, or Sinai. Remember God's words to Pharaoh, through Moses, "Let my people go, so that they may worship me in the desert" (Ex. 7:16 NIV). It was not "Let My people go, so they can inherit a land." Why would Moses take them to their promised land before first introducing them to the Promiser-the desire of the ages? If he first brought them to the promised land they would end up loving the promises more...